Greetings Troels,
I’ve just finished my DTQWT Mk III speakers this week. I used 18mm
Baltic birch ply, accented with solid birch wood. It took longer than I
expected to build them, but I would like to encourage prospective
builders that it was very well worth the effort. Just follow the plans,
and you will get there! These speakers look magnificent, and sound
wonderful. I have about 15 hours on them so far, and will continue
knuckling down with the very serious task of breaking them in.
Thank you for making this terrific design available for the DIY builder
— I think it makes for great value in a hi fi speaker, and the
satisfaction of having built them far outstrips the small (but frequent)
frustrations encountered and tackled along the way.
Season’s greetings to you.
Brenton
30-01-2016
Hello Again Troels,
I just wanted to give you a bit of an update, and also ask you a couple
of questions, now that I’ve had my new speakers up and running for over
a month now, and probably with well over 100 hours on them.
First, I have to say they sound so much better than speakers costing
$2800 deserve to sound! There are many people around the web willing to
estimate what these might cost in an audio boutique, and I would surely
never have been willing to spend anything like that much money, even if
I had it. Your DIY approach really makes it possible for mere mortals
to enjoy speakers that are very special indeed. As a DIY project, the
cost is higher than many, but with the reputation of these speakers, and
also your excellent reputation I read about in so many places . . .
well, that gave me the confidence to invest so much more than I did in
my first speaker project — that one was about $500. I didn’t think I was
taking a risk at all with this.
Second, so, I’m using a modern Dynakit ST-70 that is tubed with KT 88’s,
and the sound is just terrific. As you say on your site, it’s hard to
really describe a speaker’s sound. Except maybe by comparison to others
one knows and likes or hates. So, I’ll just stay with terrific. I have
more than enough volume to play louder than I need for any music I
select, and there’s no strain at all filling my living room that is 26’
x 13’. There’s plenty of “oompf” down low, with a tighter or bouncier
or punchier bass than I can recall hearing before. There’s lots of
detail. The imaging is good, but I’m still experimenting with this
business of toe - in angle. Using test tracks from Chesky, however,
these speakers achieve the apparently very difficult task of portraying
“off stage” imaging of the fellow striking his tambourine from a
position both left of the left speaker, and right of the right speaker.
It’s a wierd effect! I’ve never had speakers before that could do this.
So, the more I get to know these speakers since my first report to you,
the more I love them! I may have to build another pair one day, for my
son, so that he can “feel the love” too.
I did have a couple of questions — 1. How high above the floor should
the bottoms be? I have mine on metal cones, and they are 3.7cm above a
hard wood floor. It occurs to me that this might be an important
parameter. The second question — the hard wood floor. Did you intend for
there to be carpet under the bottoms, or perhaps does it not matter?
Again, my thanks for your many efforts here in support of the DIY
community.
And now, time for a record . . .
Brenton
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